Back In Avalon
by henbee
Summary: As soon as Elle, Will, Lance and Jennifer return to Avalon High for the next year of their education, threats are already being made. Will the gang be okay? Or will they be fighting the Darkness once again? Rate & Review
1. Saying Bye, Saying Hey

**Chapter One- Saying Bye, Saying Hey, Saying Yay, Saying Nay **

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ellie?"

"Yes, Mom." I rolled my eyes. "Me and Will are going to be fine. Just make sure you don't end up killing Tig, okay?"

"Of course, honey. And you come home any time you want to. Just be careful." Mom said, getting tearful. What was with women? Like, old women, who'd had kids? Did they naturally become emotionally attached and all teary or something, or was it something of an art?

"Okay, well I trust you'll look after her, William?" My Dad said, all regal. He made me want to fall about, laughing.

"Yes sir. Elle's fine with me." Will said, all seriously. I was trying not to _crack up_!! Even though Will didn't want to join the army, it seemed he'd be a very good soldier if he changed his mind. Which, you know, wasn't going to be soon or anything. Especially now Admiral Wagner was in the picture.

"And you love her? Look after her? Protect her?" Dad interrogated. God! He sounded like he was giving a knighthood or something. Medievalists. So dramatic. And unforgivably prehistoric.

Though, the whole love thing, wasn't exactly an issue. My dad asking, I mean. I was pretty curious about this too, but didn't really know how to tell Will that. It was strange enough I was going to be sharing an apartment with him, and Geoff had transferred to Washington College so he could keep an eye on us, let alone Mom, Dad and Tig moving back to Minnesota. After all, the sabbatical had ended.

"And…be safe, okay, Lake Lady?" Mom thought that ever since Morton had told me my "role", it was hilariously funny to call me the Lake Lady, especially when I was visiting the lake so much. To be honest, I felt like I was being pushed towards it. It wasn't my choice- it was obligation of the Lady of the Lake.

Yes. Even though I am still totally cynical about it, Morton has somehow brainwashed me into admitting it; that I, Elle Harrison, newly-made sophomore, is in actual fact the reincarnation of one of the most influential characters in Arthurian legend, the Lady of the Lake.

No wonder Lance and Jennifer think Morton's a nutcase. Try telling them two that their reincarnations of Lancelot, famous Arthurian knight, and Guinevere, queen and possible cause of the downfall of Camelot, just because she was a woman.

I'm so sure.

My Dad was staring at Will, who I realized still hadn't answered. What was with that?

"Yes, sir. I do love her. I will look after her, and I will protect her."

Oh wow.

Oh _wow_.

Oh WOW.

"Good." My Dad said briskly. He gave me a hug. "Be careful, okay?"

"Yes, Dad!" I smiled, though I felt a little bad. Who was going to be scared of snakes in the pool? Who was going to ask me to pull staples out of their hands? Who was going to proudly present me with Red Hot & Blue potato salad to eat in my locker, forgetting as medievalists, about refrigeration?

"You okay?" Will asked, putting his arm around me.

"Yeah." I mumbled. "We're going to be late, and Lance and Jen are going to be waiting. Let's go."

When we got to school, - even though I had passed my driver's test (YAY!), Will drove- a horde of screaming "EXCALIBUR!!" fans welcomed us.

"God, its weird hearing the name Excalibur after…well, everything." I murmured into Will's ear. He nodded.

"Well, I suppose we _are _destined for greatness…" He made a silly bowing movement, making Liz and Stacey swoon. Ever since me and Will had announced we were together, they had _totally _fallen for Will.

"After all," Liz explained to me. "if he decided to go out with you after splitting with Jennifer, there's hope for us if you guys finish, isn't there?"

I didn't bother saying that was hopeless optimism.

"Guys!!" Jennifer bounced over in her cheerleading uniform, and gave me and Will hugs. Lance high-fived Will, and awkwardly gave me a kiss on the cheek. Even after we'd become friends, I guess it was weird for Lance, you know, kissing his best friend's girlfriend. Like he did with Jennifer- though Will doesn't seem to mind too much.

He knows we're crazy about one another.

"Hey!" I smiled, staring at Jennifer's new gold highlights.

"Like the hair? Come on, be honest- yay or nay?"

"Yay. Most definitely." I nodded. Will did too, and Lance just kissed her on the cheek. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shirelle, the new French student, giving us evil looks. She stalked up to us, full of attitude.

"Here's the deal." She said, coldly. "You _back off_, stop being the _oh-so-populars_, and just take a step, or this means war, okay? Yay or nay?" She sneered. Whoa. Random.

"Nay. Most definitely." Lance scowled. Shirelle flinched. "Now back up, French stick, or somebody might have to move you."

"Fine." Shirelle said. "This means war. What about you, _Elle_?" I flinched. I thought she was asking us as a group.

"Look, Shirelle." I said, trying to stay calm. "We don't _ask _to be popular. If people like us, then fine, great, thank you. If not, okay, fine, whatever, life moves on. So if you're saying become a bad person just to make you feel less insecure, I say nay- I think I'm speaking for all of us here."

"Fine." Shirelle said, staring at me coldly, barely glancing over her black-clad shoulder. "You asked for it, Harrison. You _all _really asked for it."

And then she walked away.


	2. Let's Lunch

Chapter Two- Your Kingdom Has Come

**Chapter Two- Let's Lunch**

"That was…weird." Jennifer said, tossing some sauce onto her low-fat salad. How can a salad _not _be low-fat? I was eating a tuna baguette, and Lance and Will were eating burgers of some sorts. I nicked one of Will's fries and popped it in my mouth. Will tickled me under the table.

"What? With Shirelle?" Lance asked, through a mouthful of chilli-pepper fries.

"Yeah."

"She was probably just being melodramatic. Or doing a dare or something." I shrugged, hoping that this wouldn't turn into a horror movie. You know the sort; evil victim either a) kills the "populars" or b) gets crushed by the "populars". Why can't they just call us Pop Kids like everybody else does? Populars isn't even a word.

"Yeah. If that's the case then why'd she gloat to all of us during Health that she was going to hang rats from your lockers?"

"Ewww." Jennifer and I groaned. Of course, it was Liz who was saying this. She had obviously been eavesdropping as she passed.

Not that I cared too much.

"Maybe she's a psycho and escaped from the local lunatic asylum!" I suggested. "You know…in France. _Maybe_ she's mentally unstable!"

"Yeah. A loose screw or something." Lance mumbled. Will just stared at us questioningly.

"What?" I asked. "Come on, Will, Shirelle must have some issues. What did we do?"

"Apparently, be liked."

"Oh, ha-ha, Mr Funny Man."

"Come on. We'd better get to class." Jennifer sighed, and tossed the rest of her salad away. "I'm getting fat anyway."

I groaned.

"Jen, you are NOT fat. Right, guys?" I said, staring at Will and Lance.

"Most definitely." Will nodded.

Lance snaked his arm around Jennifer's waist, pulled her close and whispered "I like you just the way you are" before playing tonsil tennis. Will and I turned our backs on them.

"Well, I'll see you later?" Will asked.

"Duh. Who else is going to drop me to my new _home_?" I grinned. Will kissed me quickly on the lips, before walking away.

Those kisses never got old.

I made my way to class, thinking about Shirelle.

Paranoid as it seemed, was she not wrong? Were we just menaces? I knew what Pop Kids could be like, and well…had I turned in to one of them?

I really hoped not.

And I also really didn't like Shirelle for making me _question_ myself.

I sighed, and made my way to Liz and Stacy, passing by my locker.

I stopped and looked back.

There, hanging from my lock, was a rat.

With its head cut open.

I turned, gagged, and ran, aware of Shirelle's eyes watching me cruelly.


	3. Rats

Chapter Three- Rats

**Chapter Three- Rats**

"You're sure you saw Shirelle?" Will asked me urgently. I nodded mutely.

Jennifer had gotten the same treatment, and we were sure Shirelle was planning her little surprise on Will and Lance in a few periods' time.

We just didn't know what to do about it.

"You don't think it could be…?"

Lance didn't need to finish his sentence.

"No, no, it can't be!" Jennifer wailed hysterically. "This is a SCHOOL. She's trying to boost her popularity levels, not much else!"

"She's trying to take over our kingdom." Will muttered solemnly.

And it did make sense.

King Arthur had had many attempts on his kingdom; and, surely, if Will was Arthur, could the past and the future not be much different…?

"How would we know?" I asked, huddling into Will's chest.

"She'd be evil."

"I think she's proven to be that already, Lance."

Silence.

"Maybe we should reason with her."

Jennifer, Lance and I stared at Will like he was beserk.

"She's a psycho! What is there to talk about?"

"Will. Come on. She hang a RAT from my and Elle's LOCKER!"

"Will, we don't know what she's capable of!"

Will stared at us all.

"Its what I have to do." He sighed. "Because if she's willing to do and presumably much more to us? The entire-"

"The whole world isn't our fault. It is not our responsibility." Jennifer said firmly. Will looked at her.

"The entire school could be at stake, Jen." Will looked down at me, then back to Lance and Jen. "And I can't let all those people become endangered."

I took a deep breath.

It was as if a battle was about to brew.


	4. You're Killing Me Here

**Chapter Four – You're Killing Me Here**

I knew what I was doing was wrong. This wasn't me! I was being silly and stupid and juvenile and worst of all, paranoid.

But when you have a boyfriend like Will, who's been brainwashed into having a white-knight complex, you kind of need to be on the ball. And that includes occasionally ditching class.

Which was why I was in the school library, skulking in a dark corner to avoid the wrath of Librarian Lyme.

I couldn't believe I was actually doing this.

Getting Google onto my browser, I hesitantly typed in my search.

_King Arthur's enemies_.

My eyes widened as I read what appeared on the screen.

"There you are." Will smiled at me warmly, before giving me a kiss sent a slow, deadly shot of heat down my spine. I swallowed guiltily as the heat in a particular spot, watching Will's handsome face as he pulled away with a kind smile. Did he even know what he was doing to me?

Evidently not.

Placing his hands on my waist and pulling me close, he murmured to me.

"I was wondering where you'd got to." He looked down at me. Oh. My. God. No. What the hell was wrong with me? I was meant to be the reincarnation of one of the strongest and most powerful women in medieval history. Yet I couldn't help but swoon when a guy looked at me. Disgusting. But his face was just so _pretty... "_Ready to see our new home?"

I shivered with pleasure at the mention of the word "_us_".

"Definitely." I smiled, smiling even more as Will opened the car door for me. I sat down and let the panic kick in.

So, Will was technically going to Brown University. But Mr Morton had pulled some strings, so he was doing his Harvard-degree right here, at Avalon High. Something about how the King should remain with his court. He'd done the same for Jennifer and Lance.

Hey, I wasn't complaining.

Of course, I was now a junior. And Will was just... _Will_. Which meant, of course, that he was perfect.

But there was also the fact of, uh, our...

Okay, so let me just put it out there. Sex. Jennifer obviously hadn't been too bothered about it when she was with Will and I could safely assume she was enjoying it with Lance, the way she'd drop hints all the time. I didn't want to sound mean; that wasn't it. But obviously, engaging in sexual activity didn't bother her.

But I was still a virgin.

And Will obviously _wasn't_.

We'd never spoken about it before. Why should we? Will was always careful to never push my boundaries, even if it sometimes felt like I wanted him to. But come on. Whether he was Will or not, he was still a _guy_. I couldn't expect him to just wait forever. And now that we were sharing an apartment together, even though Geoff was practically next door? It just felt intensified. Obviously my parents hadn't considered this, not like _normal _parents. In fact, I'd been kind of hoping they'd say no when Will and I asked. It wasn't because I didn't want to live with Will. Of course I did. But I just knew it would be a problem.

Admiral Wagner had insisted on fixing the apartment up, apparently having set something up with an old friend. Geoff was technically my guardian and living in the same building, no doubt just itching to grab onto something to tell Mom and Dad (... predominantly Mom). But no-one had quite realized that there was a small chance I might be the problem for the exact opposite of what everybody else thought.

Basically, I didn't know what amount of bed linen had been bought. Or rather, for how many _beds_.

We drove up in silence, Will taking my hand and smiling at me. I forced a smile back. I didn't want to spoil this.

The apartment was a student building for a place nearby, an old Georgian mansion converted into flats. We were on the top floor.

"Ready?" Will grinned at me, his key in the door. I nodded numbly, my stomach in butterflies.

It was amazing.

It had space, with a computer in the corner, a large TV and a couple of loveseats and a comfy-looking white couch. A large-looking kitchen (helpfully stocked with local take-out menus). It was airy and we had a balcony.

"Oh my God, this is amazing!" I gasped, before laughing loudly. Will laughed with me, picking me up and spinning me around. He set me back down on the ground, his arms wrapped around me.

"Our new life together." Will smiled at me, pushing a stray strand of hair from my face.

"It's perfect." I smiled, pulling Will's face down to mine and kissing him, slowly.

I don't know how long we stood there, wrapped up, before we heard an awkward cough. Will broke away regretfully, his lips lingering on mine, before looking up and seeing Jen and Lance in the doorway. Of course we'd left the door open. Of course.

I hid my face in Will's neck, blushing. Will laughed, the vibration of his body against mine making heat course through my veins.

"Not interrupting, are we?" Lance asked awkwardly, apparently a very interesting red.

Will laughed again, snaking an arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. I blushed brightly as Jennifer winked at me.

"Well, you could have waited a couple more minutes." Will joked. "How'd you like your apartment?" He asked, knowing they were only next door. I could only hope our rooms weren't next door to each other. And if they were, they were soundproof.

"It's absolutely fantastic, I was just saying to Lance..." Jennifer began to babble, allowing herself in. But her voice became tuned out as I looked out, beyond the door, into the sunny corridor.

A shadow passed.

I jumped.

"Because of the – Elle?" Will stopped, instantly knowing something was wrong. My body was still leaning against his, after all.

"Did you just see that?" I asked, stepping forward slightly, but holding onto Will's hand.

"See what?" Lance asked, returning from the kitchen, where he'd apparently found potato chips.

"I just saw a shadow..." I said, feeling confused. Nothing could have passed by there, the corridor was empty. "I'm probably just imagining things. Shirelle must have freaked me out more than I thought." I laughed half-heartedly, ignoring Will's furrowed eyebrows.

The rest of the afternoon – and evening – passed without any further incident. Jen and Lance stayed for the majority, settling with us to watch movies and staying for dinner. They left at around ten, Jennifer claiming with a giggle she needed her "evening work out", shooting a glance at a smirking Lance. Will and I didn't need any further details.

Once we'd cleared up – Lance and Jen had managed to leave before that subject had been breached – Will and I went out into the balcony.

"It's beautiful out here." I murmured, watching the setting sun burst into an array of colours in the darkening sky.

"Yeah." Will managed to choke. I turned to see what was wrong, only to start blushing furiously when I saw his gaze directed straight at me.

"So, um, it's getting late. We should probably head to bed." I coughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, you're right." Will agreed, taking my hand.

My heart started beating so fast and so loud, that it was a wonder how Will couldn't hear it.

We both stopped at the door of the room we hadn't entered yet.

"It has an ensuite." Will said, holding both of my hands and glancing briefly at my face.

"Helpful." I managed to croak.

"Well... I'll be across the hall if you need me." Will said, smiling at me briefly, letting my hands go. He started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Will stopped and turned.

"My room is just opposite yours." Will replied, before a slow and sexy smile-between-a-smirk came onto his face. Will stepped toward me, his body brushing against mine as I stepped back into my bedroom door. "You didn't think I'd falsely tell your parents I'd keep you honest, did you?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, heat rushing to my cheeks. Will smirked, fighting a smile.

"Goodnight, Elle." Will told me, before leaning his head in. I closed my eyes, expecting to feel his lips on mine, but it never came – I opened my eyes to see Will's lips millimetres from mine. He was so close, I could feel his hot breath clouding with mine. Oh God, did I have anything bad on my pizza? I didn't remember eating anything with onions...

But Will was gone, with his door shut behind him, before I could find out.

I stood at my room, realizing I hadn't even discussed what I'd intended to with Will. Then again, I'd thought we'd have the evening to ourselves.

But even if I had. Or if I hadn't had anything to say.

King Arthur was _not _as perfect as everybody liked to thing.

"Breathe." I reminded myself hoarsely, a very uncomfortable pressure inside my jeans. I opened my door, looking back at Will's – which hadn't been closed properly – and seeing him, obliviously, pulling off his shirt and heading out of sight, his taut muscles on display. "_Breathe_."

**HEY EVERYONE!**

**So, I finally decided to update. Damn, I've missed this story and it feels like it's already writing itself, which is always a good sign! A lot of this just came by itself, but I'm happy with it, not to mention glad I'm over my block!**

**This was more of a filler really, but let me know what you think! It's crazy to think I've got so many reviews when I haven't updated in so long. But flattering, too :-) **

**Let me know what you think!**

**Love,  
henbee**


	5. It's Getting Hot In Here

I'd had a dream that I'd had Will's babies.

Not in an accidental, _oh, crap, I'm pregnant! - _Sort of way, but in a _Yay, we're married, happy and have an amazing sex life and now we're having children! - _Sort of way.

The scary part was that in my dream, I had genuinely thought "_amazing sex life_".

So, as you can imagine, when I woke up in bed, I was bombarded with thoughts on Will.

I smelt of Will. Our kissing had caused his cologne to rub off on me and honestly, I wasn't that bothered by it.

I was in one of Will's favourite T-shirts that he'd accidentally left with me once and had now become my favourite pyjamas. It was a Harvard T-shirt he'd had since he was a kid. I didn't plan on giving it back. Anyway, when I'd asked Will if he'd minded that I'd worn it to bed (I was missing him that night. Despite the fact he left at 2am... And came back at 7) Will had just smiled at me and said – and I quote – "Two of my favourite things in the world together... How can I complain about that?".

It also didn't help that the first thing I heard was Will cursing in the kitchen, something which – although I shouldn't find attractive – I did.

I had mental issues that I seriously needed to contend with.

So, like the dutiful girlfriend, I swung back my bed covers and tottered to help my estranged boyfriend. What I _didn't _expect to find was him dressed in only a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair soaking wet and his sculpted chest glistening in the light shining in through the windows.

Will turned around in surprise, probably at the sound of my door opening. I stood, staring, in shock.

"Morning, Elle." Will said, freezing. "Uh, you're up early."

_Earth to Ellie. Stop just standing there! Say something!_

Nope, I had nothing.

"Elle?" Will asked, sounding slightly more normal now. "Are you okay?"

It took a few moments for the question to sink in.

"You're naked." I blurted out.

Oh, wow, way to go, Elle! Really smart!

Will opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped, looking down at himself and seeming to realize what I'd said, was, in fact, true. Looking up, Will looked at me, then back at himself, then me again.

"You're not wearing pants." Will replied, his voice suddenly strained.

I looked down. Of course. I'd slept in Will's shirt, which was more than big enough for modesty, but still only just covered... Well, what _needed _to be covered, thanks to my freakish height. My entire legs were on display (so glad I'd shaved), not to mention how the shirt was so big on the shoulders, that it kept sagging down my shoulder on one side. I mean, come on. This shirt was big on _Will_. I had no chance. I was swamped.

Now, really, I should have better equipped myself for a situation like that. I mean, come on. We were going to be living together. People who flat-shared with total strangers had problems like these all the time; bumping into each other on the landing, fighting over the kettle rights, that kind of thing. The fact that the stranger _wasn't _a stranger and my boyfriend – who I'd had experience living with before – was a bonus, right? _Right?_

Wrong. Because being half-naked in somebody else's clothes with a total stranger was just plain embarrassing.

Being half-naked in your boyfriend's clothes, with your _boyfriend_, alone in an apartment you shared – that wasn't embarrassing.

That was _convenient._

"I was making breakfast." Will motioned to where, apparently, breakfast had gone wrong. There was somehow splattered egg everywhere. "Sorry." Will said sheepishly.

Sexual tension brilliantly diffused, I laughed and went to evaluate the mess.

"Shift out of the way and I'll see how much damage you've done to our _day old kitchen_." I teased, meeting Will at the threshold between open-plan living space and kitchen. Will smiled boyishly, blocking my space.

"It's not my fault." Will told me, tucking a messy strand of hair behind my ear. "I was _trying _to be romantic."

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Will's neck, Will's arms already wrapped around my waist.

I fake-sighed.

"You're _hopeless_." I said theatrically. Will simply smiled, bringing his mouth down to meet mine.

Maybe it was the baby dream that did it, but suddenly, I _wanted _Will. It wasn't that I was overwhelmed by hormones (though, I admit, Will looking at me causes a rush. And him being shirtless, wet and in a towel didn't help), but... Well, why not? We were both responsible. We were in a serious, committed relationship. I wasn't scared, either – forget Will being the reincarnation of the Bear, I had enough faith in just _Will_ to know he would never hurt me. He'd take care of me, he'd be gentle.

Our lips met slowly at first, our kiss gentle. Simple.

But, really, nothing else was simple in our lives. So why should this be, right?

Will went to pull away, but I stopped him, pulling his shoulders back. I felt heat flow through me, the feeling of my fingers splayed against his taut, strong muscle sending fire rushing through my veins.

"Not finished." I mumbled against Will's mouth, my heart hammering in my chest.

Letting my hand fall to his bicep (... there are no words), I pulled him closer to me as I backed myself against the kitchen worktop. It felt shocking and cool, even through my – Will's – shirt, almost sobering.

But not quite.

Will's hand fell to my bare shoulder, caressing it. It felt so... _Good_, feeling Will's warm skin against mine. The thinness of the T-shirt and the _lack _of clothing on Will meant we could feel the contours of our body mesh against each other as we kissed. My fingers tangled in Will's wet hair, his hands set firmly on my waist.

I felt like I was going to throw up my heart, but every nerve ending felt on fire. I took Will's hand and guided it upwards- not high enough to go back to my shoulder, but high _enough_.

Will stopped.

"Elle..." He whispered.

I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach.

"Yes?" I whispered back.

"I..." Will's voice sounded strangled. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but you're only wearing my T-shirt." _And not anything else_.

"Then maybe you should claim it back." I said, kissing him into silence. Will seemed hesitant at first, but kissed me back, his hand lingering, before landing where it should. I made a small gasp. It felt... _Good_.

My hands were just running down his chest when the door knocked.

"Leave it." Will said gruffly.

I didn't say anything. I just carried on enjoying Will _kiss _me. It was different than before – it was like he'd been treating me a kid, in comparison.

Well, if I was Dorothy, I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

"_Will! Elle! Open up_!"

It was Jennifer.

Nothing like an ex-girlfriend to cool things down.

Will quickly broke away and turned his back to me, resting his hands on the tabletop. I paused. _What had I just tried to do_?

"Will?" I asked, my voice sounding quiet and childlike.

That was when the door swung open.

Jennifer gaped at Will and I.

I tried to see it from her perspective. Her ex-boyfriend, looking like thunder, naked exempt for a towel and his new girlfriend in his favourite T-shirt and nothing else.

Oh and also looking incredibly guilty with swollen lips.

"_Oh_." Jennifer said, blushing.

"I'm just going to go and get changed." Will said abruptly, walking to his room and slamming the door behind him. I looked down at the floor, my lip quivering.

"Elle?" Jennifer asked, walking over hesitantly. "Elle, are you okay?"

I just shook my head and ran to my room, my face burning with shame.

It was a Saturday and we were all heading to Costa for some post-breakfast coffee.

I hadn't said anything to Will.

"He's probably just, _you know_, frustrated." Jennifer had told me. "He's a guy, after all. I mean, I know he's busy being a saviour and saving the world, blah, blah, blah, but he's still just _a guy_, you know what I mean? He probably didn't see it coming and is beating himself up about it."

That hadn't made me feel any better.

I wanted nothing more than to call Stacy back in Minnesota and whine to her. But I knew that was me just being childish... And a part of me knew that maybe this was something I'd have to deal with by myself. I mean, if Will and I didn't establish proper routes of communication, how could we be expected to last?

Oh, God, I sounded like those lesbian divorce lawyers from _Loose Women_.

"So, I was like, come _on_, man, it's just a _dollar rubber_..." Lance was saying to Will earnestly. I glanced up, feeling my cheeks flush. Even Will had turned a little rosy.

That was when a shadow fell against our table.

For a second, I wondered if I was reliving yesterday and actually going crazy. I mean, it'd explain a lot, right?

"Well, if it isn't the Brady Brunch." A sneering voice said.

_Shirelle_.

In everything that had been going on – school, moving into the apartment, moving into the apartment with _Will _– I'd forgotten to tell Will about her.

And now here she was.

"The Brady Brunch is a _family_." Lance said icily. I opened my mouth to say something – justify whatever Lance said -, but realized Lance was actually _right_. I nodded at him, impressed. "Do we look around fifty to you?"

Slight exaggeration, but nice for effect.

"Well, maybe not in this life cycle." Shirelle agreed, acting dumb. Her horrid, dark eyes met each of our own, looking us all equally in the face. Her eyes finally settled on Will and I. We were sitting beside each other, as usual – but, usually, we'd be holding hands, or have our knees touching, or I'd have Will's arms wrapped around my shoulders. Today, we may as well have been on different continents. "Problems in Avalon, my _liege?_"

I froze.

Nobody else knew about Will, Jennifer, Lance and I. Will being a reincarnation of King Arthur wasn't something we discussed openly and going further to say Jen and Lance were reincarnations of Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot – well, that was just _asking _to be locked up in a strait jacket. Mr Morton being Merlin was plain ridiculous and as for _me_? _I _was meant to be the reincarnation of a spiritual entity that was of even more questionable existence than the others. I was the Lady of the Lake, the mysterious priestess who had taken Arthur to die on the sacred island of Avalon, following the betrayal of his brother, Mordred and his attempt at murder.

I wasn't saying Marco _wasn't _a total psycho, but still. Come on.

So, for the fact that the newest psycho in town knew who we were (or supposed to be, according to the Order of the Bear, the group of batty historians that Morton belonged to. Or, _batty _is what I kept telling myself), was trouble. Serious trouble.

"I think you're lost, Shirelle." Will replied smoothly, but even I had noticed the flicker of panic on Will's face. Normally, I would have noticed anyway, but judging by the cruel smirk on Shirelle's face, she had, too. "Lit History for the Challenged is across from the street at the Help Centre."

Shirelle's smirk vanished.

"You all think you're so _invincible_." She sneered. Her eyes fell to me and flashed evilly. "Well, don't get comfortable on your high horses, _my majesties_." Her eyes narrowed devilishly. "You wouldn't want to take a _fall_."

Then she slammed her way out of Costa's and in the opposite direction to the way we'd came.

There was a few moments pause.

"What the _hell _was that?" Jennifer shrieked, looking between Lance and Will. Lance was looking at Will, looking lost and Will simply looked ashen. I went to touch his shoulder, but thought better of it. Now wasn't the time to remind him of this morning. "Can someone please tell me who the _hell _that psycho _is_?"

Will just shrugged helplessly.

"Actually..." I said, my face turning red as Jen and Lance looked at me, Jen in particular with _crazy lady _printed in her irises. "I think I can."

Will looked at me.

"What do you mean, you think you can?" He asked, sounding confused. "You know who she is?"

"Shirelle?" Lance offered. We ignored him.

"I did some research yesterday." I explained, looking at Will and trying to not see the betrayal in his eyes. Suddenly, Lance and Jen being there wasn't important any more. "I was going to tell you, but-"

"You had other plans." Will said bitterly.

I stopped.

I'd never seen Will like this before.

Lance coughed.

"Anyway." He prompted.

"Right." I said, turning away from Will and trying to keep my voice level and not allow the wave of tears threatening to overspill. "Well, according to Arthurian legend, Arthur had many enemies, right?"

Lance and Jen nodded enthusiastically. Will just looked at me.

"Right." I breathed, forcing myself to breathe. "Right, so, the deadliest of his enemies was Mordred. Who he's already defeated." I looked pointedly at Will, who gave me the smallest of nods. "But what a lot of people don't know about, is the sorceress, Morgan le Fay."

Everybody looked at me quizzically.

"She was a powerful sorceress, according to Arthurian legend." I explained. "Nobody knows her real role for sure, or her relation to other. Some texts say she was Arthur's half brother, as they shared the same mother, only she came from the first marriage." I glanced at Will, whose jaw was set tightly. "But, according to those texts, Mordred was Arthur's _nephew. _In most texts, Morgan le Fay – also known as Morgana – returns to the side of good and reconciles with Arthur and his Knights." I paused. "But there's a distinct gap between then and when she decides to go psycho crazy."

I let it sink in. Suddenly, saying it out loud made it so much more worse.

"So, you're saying we have another one of Will's long-lost siblings who is actually a witch, after us?" Jennifer asked, looking like a movie star as her eyes glassed over with tears, clutching Lance's wrist dramatically.

I coughed.

"Not quite." I sighed, watching each of them, my gaze lingering on Will. I turned back to Jennifer when Will just stared at me stonily back. "It's also rumoured that Morgana... Well, that Morgana committed adultery with one of the Knights of the Round Table."

"But it's not like we _have _all of the Knights." Lance pointed out. "So far, there's only me and Will."

"Right." I agreed, taking a deep breath and looking at Jennifer, hoping she'd understand. "Morgana never goes for Arthur. And if we only have one knight left..."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Will.

"That means," Jennifer said slowly, her face ashen. "That Morgana – I mean, Shirelle – is going to go after _Lancelot_." Jen stared, her eyes wide, at Lance. "Lance, Shirelle is coming after _you_."

**Q/N**

**Hey guys!**

**I am really sorry! I keep saying I'll update more often, but I never get around to it. Sorry. I know. I can totally suck sometimes. **

**But **_**thank you so much**_** for stacking up all of those reviews! It's AMAZING! I remember when I started **_**Back in Avalon**_**, that I was worrying that nobody would like it and (exempt my old Jonas fictions) yet, this has become one of my most popular fanfictons! Thank you so, **_**so **_**much!**

**This was meant to be longer, but I've done my wrist in, by updating two of my other stories on FictionPress. Not one to beg readers, but **_**if**_** anybody is interested, then here's the link for my FictionPress profile;**

**.com/~theprettyreckless **

**Other notices... Well, firstly, I want to apologize for my atrocious grammar in my other chapters. I don't know why, but usually I write my updates in a rush, especially as of lately because of exams, so I don't get to check as thoroughly as I like. Usually, I'm a total grammar snob... Which only makes it more embarrassing. But thank you to everybody who kindly pointed it out and thank you for your offers to help out somebody inept :P**

**Oh, and a big thank you to ****SaguaroCactus**** for a heads up on the rating needing updating. Thank you so much! I didn't even realize the story was taking this direction, nor did I realize how low I'd put the rating. So, thank you again. **

**OH and the smut at the beginning? Not me. Those of you who know me know that my characters write themselves and I'm just a scribe. So any discomfort, let **_**Elle **_**know, not me... ;)**

**Last thing; guess what? I had my early entry exam in English Language a few months back and got my results recently... A*! **_**Awesome**_**! A lot of it was pretty creative writing-heavy, so I just wanted to thank you all for your support. You've all been so awesome and supportive and patient with my writing and you're all always constantly giving me tips and advice, which is super cool. SO, officially, thank you – I don't think I could have got such a high grade in my creative writing side without all of your support!**

**Well, leave me love in the little box below and feel free to check out any other stories. Oh and feel free to yell at me and remind me to update on Twitter. I constantly have it at hand.**

**Thanks again, guys!**

**Love,  
theprettyreckless**


	6. Abracadabra When It Fails

"Oh my God, I am _so _sorry!" I gasped as I collided with a total stranger in the hallway. Books clattered to the floor and I felt myself turn an interesting shade of red. "Seriously, I am so sorry, are you okay?"

I bent down and started picking up the books, trying to not think about how sucky the past few days had been. Saturday had been more calming down Jennifer than anything and Sunday, we'd all hit different libraries to do research on Morgan le Fay – or Shirelle. I was still unsure as to whether or not Shirelle was the person we were looking for, but... Well, who else could it be? The last time I checked, nobody else was hanging dead rats from other people's lockers.

I'd barely seen Will over the weekend – between chasing Jen all over the city as she tried to hunt down and kill Shirelle, researching and Will leaving early for breakfast this morning... It had been tough to talk. Despite the fact I kept telling myself to stop being so paranoid, I couldn't help but feel he was avoiding me.

"Seriously, it's fine." The collidee laughed. I looked up and saw it was a guy – a cute guy, too. "I'm Stan."

I balanced my books with one arm and stuck out my hand.

"Ellie." I said, shaking his hand. "Commonly known as Elle."

"Nice to meet you." Stan replied. He was cute in an if-I-didn't-have-a-boyfriend-I'd-like-you sort of way. He had curling locks of brown-blonde hair, hazel coloured eyes, tanned skin and a T-shirt reading _Man Candy_, with the picture of a candy corn in the middle. "As the new kid, I'm meant to be not noticed at least once, right?"

That wasn't guilt tripping.

"I am so sorry." I muttered, shaking my head. "Monday mornings. Who wants them?"

"Tell me about it." Stan smiled. "You've got all the right books, right?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I smiled awkwardly. I remembered being the new kid. Finding out my crush had a cheerleader girlfriend, was a jock, the most popular and wanted guy in school and, oh yeah, was a reincarnation of a king. Ah, the memories. "Where's your first class? Let me at least show you the way, it's the least I can do."

"Uh..." Stan pulled out a piece of wrinkled paper from the back pocket of his jeans. Blue standard. Nice. "English elective with a Mr Morton...?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Is that bad?" Stan asked, smiling a little.

"No, Mr Morton is a good guy." And a secret wizard to the reincarnation of King Arthur, who just so happens to be my boyfriend and roommate. Hola. "I actually have his class now. Senior, I take it?"

Stan nodded.

"So, where are you from?" I asked. "I mean, which school?"

"Cornwall, New York." Stan replied, walking slowly in step with me. "I just moved here last week and, well, Avalon High seemed the place to be, so..."

"So you figured you'd join the Excaliburs." I nodded.

"I figured I'd join the Excaliburs." Stan agreed. "And come on, let's face it, it has the best innuendo ever. _I'm an Excalibur_. Just think about it." Stan grinned.

"Yeah..." I laughed. "I wouldn't recommend saying that in front of Mr Morton." Stan opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him. "Just... Trust me on that one!"

"Good morning, Ms Harrison." Mr Morton greeted me, as I stepped into class with Stan. It was weird. Considering how much I saw of him outside of class, seeing him as a teacher again sometimes made me feel like the whole Avalon thing had never happened. He hadn't even been sure if he'd wanted to come back to Avalon; after all, as Merlin, he was meant to be protecting _Arthur_, not me, right? But Will had insisted it was for the best; not only would it look suspicious if Mr Morton tried stalking him to college, but Will had said _he _wasn't his weakness; _I _was.

Which only made me feel worse.

"Hey, Mr Morton." I replied, the whole facade of not knowing him suddenly feeling stupid. Sure, it was _logical_ to _not _be sent to the local psychiatric ward when trying to save the world from darkness, but truly? I was – supposedly – the Lady of the Lake. Mr Morton was meant to be _Merlin_, the legendary wizard. Yet we were living this stupid lie, right in the heart of 21st century Camelot, acting like nothing was happening. "We've got a new kid!"

"So I see..." Mr Morton replied, eyeing Stan up. "You must be Stan Marks, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Stan nodded, winking at me as I made my way to my seat. I have to admit, just for a second, I stopped as I made a sinking realization. Oh no. Stan wasn't... _Flirting _with me, was he? "The one and only."

"Right." Mr Morton said, looking at Stan in an odd manner. "If you'd just like to take this reading list..." I blocked Mr Morton out, knowing the new-kid speech already.

"Morning, Elle."

"Hey, Perry." I smiled. Perry was my desk neighbour in Mr Morton's class and was one of those nice guys. Light brown hair. A pretty smile. Brown eyes. An awesome sense of humour. "So I take it you survived the weekend?"

"Don't even get me started." Perry groaned. His cousins from Wichita had come to visit, something which Perry hadn't exactly been happy about. "Now, I'm all for being in touch with my feminine side, but seriously, there is a limit..."

I laughed, but it faded quickly. I hadn't laughed all weekend.

_Will_...

"Let me guess..." Perry said gently, looking at me. "Trouble in paradise?"

I shook my head, bluffing as much as I could.

"No, of course not, everything is fine." I said, laughing, slightly hysterically. "It's fine, really."

"Uh-huh." Perry said, sounding unconvinced. "Hey, are we still on for tonight?"

"Tonight?" I repeated, confused. I wracked my brain. "Oh! Movie night at Stacy's is tonight!"

Perry nodded.

"What's this about a movie night?" Stan asked, taking the empty seat behind Perry.

"A friend of ours is holding one tonight." Perry informed him, leaning back in his chair to stare at Stan upside down. "I'm Perry, by the way."

"Stan." Stan said, shaking Perry's hand. "Is this movie night welcome to newcomers, or am I supposed to wait until I officially befriend you all first?"

Perry and I looked at each other, pretending to be dubious.

"I don't know..." I said.

"Yeah, I mean it _is _likely to be a load of chick flicks against my will..." Perry sighed dramatically. "I could do with the company, I guess. Remind me that I'm fuelled by testosterone."

"So... That's a yes?" Stan asked, sounding hopeful.

"That's a yes."

The day was okay; Perry and I introduced Stan to everybody at lunch, including Stacy, who went slightly pink when he kissed her cheek, to thank her for allowing him to come tonight and Perry finally met some of the girls from track.

But, all good things come to an end.

"So, is Will coming tonight?" Stacy asked me.

"Who's Will?" Stan asked.

"My boyfriend." I told him calmly, ignoring Stacy's question to let her bask in the glory of Will's name. Which she did.

"Yeah and the star of Avalon High!" Stacy gushed. "He graduated with honours last year. Quarterback, class president, absurdly hot..."

"Sounds perfect." Stan said, smirking kindly at me from the other side of the table. "Lucky girl."

"Why don't you call him and ask him over tonight?" Stacy persisted. "Call him!"

"Um, okay." I mumbled, pulling out my cell phone and dialling Will's number. "It's ringing."

"_Hello_?"

"Hey..." I said, sounding overly peppy, knots forming in my stomach at Will's deep voice. "Look, I know this is kind of random, but I'm at lunch and Stacy is holding this movie night thing and she wanted to know if you could come -"

"_Sorry, I can't, I've got my first big assignment. But you go. Have fun_."

"Uh, yeah, sure." I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "I'll see you at home." Though it came out as more of a question.

"_Yeah. Look, I have to go. Bye_."

I mumbled my goodbye and hung up.

"Sorry." I sighed, addressing Stacy and trying to look as not-freaked out as possible. "He's got his first big assignment tonight. He can't make it."

"You sure you're not going to help with his practical research?" Jane – a girl from track – winked, causing everyone to laugh. I laughed awkwardly with them, Perry laughing the loudest to try and distract attention. I smiled gratefully at him.

Movie night was fun. We all met up after school, blacked out the windows and settled on the couch. There was popcorn, ice cream and most importantly; cookies.

"So," Stan said was we topped up on our ice-cream sundaes. "You have a boyfriend, then."

"Sure do." I replied, forcing a smile. Will hadn't text me all night. Usually, he would have called at least three times by now. "You should meet him sometime, I know Perry's been meaning to."

"Yeah, definitely." Stan said, his eyes twinkling. "I mean, I should at least let the guy know I have the hots for his girl, right?"

I stared at Stan, speechless. Oh my God, he hadn't just said that.

"But don't worry." Stan continued, smiling at me. "I don't hit on other guy's girlfriends."

"Huh." I managed to squeak out. "Good to know."

Stan had then winked and left me in the kitchen.

So, the new guy had a crush on me.

Because my life wasn't complicated enough. My boyfriend wasn't talking to me after I'd attempted to instigate what might have been sex, some psychotic witch and long-lost relative of the said boyfriend was after my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's boyfriend (who happened to be his best friend), oh and the said psycho wanted me and the guy who was supposedly the reincarnation of a medieval king – also said boyfriend – dead.

Yeah. So not complicated enough. The big guy upstairs just decided to throw that little something special in there for me.

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry this took so long, I would have updated sooner, but I was updating other stories under special request (a dedicated reader on FictionPress – it was her birthday) and I wanted this a little longer than the other chapters. I hope this is!**

**So, what do you think? I know I brought in our first supporting original chapters this chapter – Perry and Stan – so what do you think?**

**Oh and I think the name Stacy may or may not be right. I haven't read the book in a while, so excuse any mistakes. As soon as I'm sure, I'll fix those right up for you :)**

**So, what actually got me inspired to write this update was after watching the movie of the book, Disney's adaption of Avalon High. Now, I like Gregg Sulkin. He makes my British accent suck and his American accent **_**definitely **_**sucked, but hey, I recently started following the guy on Twitter. And seeing Steve Valentine as Mr Morton was cool.**

**But can I just say – with the utmost respect to Disney – that the entire film **_**sucked**_**?**

**As a huge Avalon High fan, what **_**was **_**that? A total travesty? They messed up the whole book! I get it was meant to be an adaption, but Meg cannot be happy about this, surely. Elle as Arthur? What the hell? I get how they may be subtly promoting equality between the sexes (ref: Mr Morton saying to "Allie" aka King Arthur (again – wtf?) that Arthur "can't be a girl"), as Disney tends to subtly comment on political issues within their films, especially those aimed at young teens, but **_**come on**_**. Talk about killing the plot. Not to mention how Will is not meant to be that short. And the sailing! Everybody loves the sailing! And Marco – don't even get me started. Don't. He had a weird nose, didn't act like Marco and **_**bowed **_**afterwards, because he was a protector? That failed as a plan!**

**And Mr Morton being Mordred? Yeah, how the writers changed that last-minute to make it mesh with the rest of the changed plot isn't **_**at all obvious**_**. They do realize that for it to even have the **_**slightest **_**accuracy to Arthurian legend, Mr Morton would have to be either Arthur's nephew or half-brother, right? They know that?**

**Oh and a parting though; when "Will" (aka Sulkin) was asking "Allie" (aka Preppy Blonde Chick) – "If you're King Arthur... What does that make me?" and her reply of "My knight in shining armour. :)" Um, NO! You know what that makes you? That makes you the **_**Lady of the Lake**_**. Yeah, you're a mythical priestess, who people aren't even sure existed! Sucks to be you.**

**Just sayin'.**

**Oh and Jennifer in the movie; total fail. She was ginger and not a cheerleader. That ruins the entire concept of Avalon High. Did these people even read the blurb, for goodness' sake?**

**Okay, rant over. Sorry about that. You know that little emoticon you can get on MSN, of the smiley looking angry and shaking its little fist in the air? That's me. Yes, Disney, you may have brought me Nick Jonas' pretty little face, but **_**nothing **_**will excuse you for this. Just you watch; as payback, Britain is sending you our healthcare system. Take that for a reform. How do you feel about free healthcare, capitalists who make me look like an idiot when arguing for capitalism? Yeah. Yeah, that's right, you CHANGE Avalon High back before I whup your ass then bandage it back up for free!**

**Oh and – what is up with the sequels to AH being manga books? That's cool, but what about those who **_**read solely using words**_**? What about us! I want a sequel as much as the next person! Hello! I brought the BOOK, not the manga comic after it was released!**

**Okay, **_**now **_**my rant is over.**

**Anyway.**

**So, I hope you guys liked this chapter, basically. I tried to stay true to the BOOK, not the crap I watched with my 5 year old brother. That's an hour and a half of my life I'm never getting back.**

**Leave me love in the box below. Or just feel free to comment on my rant, whichever.**

**Love,  
henbee x**


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